Homefield advantage: Raiders host first home games since 2021

“It’s amazing.”

This phrase was uttered throughout a sunny afternoon as Thomas Jefferson High School hosted its first baseball and softball game in four years.

For the past four years, the Thomas Jefferson Raiders baseball and softball teams have been missing something — a place to call home.

“It’s cool to see the girls have a spot where not only can they do their thing, but they can roll up anyway and look down here and know they have a home. That is really special,” Raider fastpitch coach Annalise Campbell said.

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Since the school’s re-opening after renovation in 2021, the Raiders spring sports have been waiting to finally take the field and really be the home team.

The wait came to an end on March 17 when both teams made their homefield debuts. The Raider baseball team took on White River and fell 8-2, while TJ’s softball team lost in extra innings to Kennedy Catholic, 21-14.

For seniors Kort Baker and Lyla Smith, they are waiting for someone to pinch them to wake them up.

“It was really eye opening because there is just one more year. When it is over it’s over. You got to soak it in like a sponge,” Baker said.

“It was really exciting. I thought we played really good even though it wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” Smith said.

Baker has started for the Raiders since he was a freshman. Through the thick and thin of being a Raider baseball player, he battled through all sorts of adversity and is now a Pacific Lutheran University commit.

“He’s stayed with it, stayed with the organization and does the right thing when nobody is looking. He takes pride in this,” Head Coach Joe Townsend said.

The idea of a homefield has been so foreign to these teams that when they made their return, it felt like something out of a movie. Students and staff walked down from the halls of Thomas Jefferson to watch. Track and field athletes linked up with girls tennis players to take a stroll over to see the happenings. In every sense of the word, the new fields made Thomas Jefferson feel like a community.

“Of all of those people that were here today, 70% of the people would not have been at this game if we were playing at Brannan [Park],” Townsend said. “It’s creates a different buzz and a different energy.”

Townsend has been through it all for the Raiders. In his fifteenth season at the helm for Thomas Jefferson, he brought out someone special for opening day.

King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer was standing next to Townsend and talking with Raider players before the game. His support for youth athletics in King County means a lot to Townsend.

“There is not enough words that I can use to describe what he means, not just to me, but to the program, to Thomas Jefferson period. He’s first class. If I could vote for him five times in one election I would. He’s tremendous,” Townsend said.

Along with the new fields, which are all turf, both teams have their own pair of batting cages, a storage trailer with an easy access garage door and an elevated pseudo press box behind home plate. While those things might not appear right away to impact the teams, it creates a level of competition and an atmosphere of excellence.

“We have something here. We have something to be proud of and this is our house. People aren’t just going to come in here and take games from us,” softball coach Annalise Campbell said.

Over the last four years, baseball has had to travel to Brannan Park in Auburn for their games and practices. The new ballfields are taking out a hurdle not only for them, but parents, coaches and other students.

Considering baseball’s situation, fastpitch has been even worse off since the re-opening. Over the course of the four years, the Raiders played home games at South County Ballfields, Brannan Park, Celebration Park, and Kent-Meridian, Auburn and Federal Way high schools. To say they are tired of running around would be an understatement — they have been waiting and ready to call a place home.

“The girls deserve it,” Campbell said. “Having a field here finally will draw in those middle school families. They get to be a part of this thing before their kiddos are old enough to go to TJ.”

Townsend is a self-described talker, but on Monday, he just wanted to be in the moment.

“Today, I was just laid back. Let them enjoy this, it was awesome,” he said.

These two programs not only share a home, but also share similar progression in their programs. Both have senior leaders and complement that leadership with a strong youth core. Baseball has a freshman starting at second base, Ikaika Frank, while softball has a sophomore, Jesabella Arceo, playing shortstop and batting second in the order.

“It stokes a fire for kids like Ikaika to bring other freshmen to TJ. We can have kids that want to be here… It creates a buzz and kids want to be here,” Townsend said.

Having a new home field also allows Campbell to honor Raider teams of the past. She is planning on creating traditions and creating an atmosphere that is special to the players who become a part of the program.

“I’ve got some plans for building some new traditions. As Raider fastpitch, our program has always been one of tradition and legacy and we take that very seriously. We have a lot of cool things in place, but I think this is a cool opportunity to introduce some new stuff to those younger players who are going to create their legacy here,” Campbell said.